Wednesday, November 7

October is month where Braden and Finley are half way to their next birthday--which I should be fully recovered from the last set of parties and ready to throw the next one. (Finley insists he wants a doggy party...) Unfortunately, it is not October, it is November. I even took these pictures on Oct 12 (Braden's official half birthday!) and managed to procrastinate almost a month before posting them. Oh well.

Braden is mimicking everything we say, and sometimes asking for things on his own (water, up please, book, help, more). He sings a very special, incredibly garbled version of the ABCs and the theme from Choo-Choo Soul (All aboard the Choo Choo Train!) and it's so sweet. His vocabulary is surprising me daily--it's such a cool age where they understand SO much and are just starting to be able to express themselves. He's so proud when he says a train or bus and can tell me about it! For my records, some of his words: milk, Mac, bus, truck, train, tractor, water, hi, bye, help, up, please, all done, mama, yes, no, daddy, Finley, Brady, dog, frog, duck, moo, quack, woof, choo choo, more, book, cheese, cracker, cupcake, vroom vroom, sock, shoe... He can identify lots of body parts and will insist on reading the same ones over and over.

He's still a sweet thumb sucker and is much cuddlier than that brother of his. I love putting him to bed--the way he'll lay his head on me and suck his thumb while he snuggles his giraffe. He really is a bedtime champ--he rarely fusses after we lay him down. He seems GRATEFUL for the alone time. A little introvert, perhaps? But do not cross the boy--he will yell NO NO NO with the best of them. The dramatics are second to none (see pictures of him screaming on Halloween.) He loves me--that's for sure. Not only is he upset if he suspects he may get left somewhere, he also can not handle me holding other babies. He really likes being my baby. And I do too.

He likes to wrestle with his brother and color and read the same book over and over. He's in love with trains lately--nothing makes him happier than trains. I just love seeing his preferences, he's obsessed with trains in a way that Finley wasn't at his age! He's adorable when he thinks he's being sneaky or silly--he likes to try to hide from us or run away when he's being silly. Such a fun guy.

We've abandoned the patch and are putting one drop in his eye once a week that dilates his pupil (it looks a little freaky) and blurs his vision to force him to strengthen his weak eye. Much easier than the patch! We're checking in three months to see where we'll go from here.

Here's a sweet video of Braden--I'm mostly sharing it for his benefit. He thinks it's hilarious--the part with the clothespin and little dog have him in stitches.

Finley is three and a half. He's turning into such a kid! He uses big words that I'm not sure where he picked them up. He told me something on the floor was disgusting today. He also told me I was really stinky and needed to shower, which was true. He impresses me with the towers and rockets he builds, the pictures he draws and the questions he comes up with. I need to start recording all his funny moments throughout the day--three year olds are a funny breed.

We're struggling a bit with sleeping--he really doesn't need a nap anymore. If he falls asleep he ends up staying up until very late... but he also his a little grumpier and more emotional than normal because he's getting less sleep. You'd think that he'd sleep in a little later, but for some reason he's not napping AND he's getting up about an hour earlier. We're trying to get him to stay in bed until 8 (his clock turns green at 8!) but it's a fight. He's persistent.

We're still doing letter activities every day and he really looks forward to them. I know everyone thinks their kid is super smart (how can you not--you watch them go from an infant to someone who can talk! AMAZING!) but I am always impressed at how well he picks up on things. He's doing great with letter sounds and can somewhat legibly write words.

I've started taking the boys to the gym and putting them in childcare and it's being going great. It means I don't have to go work out after they go to bed! Yay! Braden makes me proud--he normally only cries for a minute. Sometimes he poops in protest and I have to stop early to get him, but for the most part it's pleasant for all parties.